Hello Everyone,
Here's my last full report from Antarctica, as I'm due to "bag drag" this evening, and then fly north tomorrow.
1. My work here...
2. Web site to see more of Antarctica...
3. Rebuilding South Pole...
4. Wednesday Science Lecture: Geochemistry of the Dry Valleys
5. Observations around station..
6. Tanker
1. My work here...
I have accomplished a large portion of my work here, as much as I could do with the time, materials, etc. For those of you getting AWS data from me - it is available again. Upgrades to the system here have helped with that. We also are getting some data available to the operational forecasters on station to consider as well.
2. Web site to see more of Antarctica...
For those of you who would like to surf a bit on the web, there is a site that night be of interest:
One of my colleagues keeps this site up with a lot of other interesting photos and stories about Antarctica.
3. Rebuilding South Pole...
In case you didn't know, the US is rebuilding South Pole Station. The old station has started to wear out, and actually needs to be replaced before is becomes an unsafe place to do work. This is a big project, and one that I understand is on time, and under budget. Not bad, considering the location! Once complete, it will be a bit more modern place that the research can take place at. South pole has many project, esepcially one this summer that has some University of Washington (and former University of Wisconsin!) researchers studying the atmosphere at South Pole - especially the water vapor, snow crystals, etc. There some other big ones too, such as ozone monitoring/Clean Air Facility, astronomy, etc. Always a busy place at South Pole.
4. Wednesday Science Lecture: Geochemistry of the Dry Valleys
I'll not be able to
write about this talk in this note - perhaps in my follow up note when
I return to Wisconsin. Stay tuned...
5. Observations around station...
This late afternoon, there are the wonderfully smooth upside down saucer-shaped clouds - actually a stack of three of them - that are over the top of Mt. Discovery, the large dormant volcano across from the station. A good sign of it being windy, and moderately stable air that is forced over the mountain and turns into clouds. It otherwise a partly overcast sky today - we've had blowing snow on the iceshelf out front.
6. Tanker
I don't know if I did tell you about the ship - the tanker with fuel - did indeed arrive on station. It has been 24 hours a day been unloading fuel to refuel the station (and fuel that will be flown in by LC-130 to South Pole). The tanker has been slowly, but surely rising out of the water, as it unloads the fuel on board. Its a fair sized ship too.
That's the word from here.
I'll been manifested to leave on flight #GCH0035 from McMurdo, bound for Chirstchurch, New Zeland.
Take care,
Matthew